Summary

A major international research project – reviewing 119 studies (58 from high-income countries and 61 from low-income / middle-income countries) has discovered – amongst many other statistics – that the proportion of younger people affected by stroke is increasing. Stroke in the 20–64 age group accounts for nearly a third of strokes currently, whereas it accounted for a quarter of all strokes in 1990.

The overall global burden of stroke is significant and increasing, largely due to an ageing population, so more research on all fronts is recommended.